Senate Republicans’ Flawed Candidates on Full Display as GOP Infighting Continues to Escalate

This week, as Senate Republicans’ flawed candidates continued to brawl in “increasingly crowded” and “contested” primaries, their “intraparty rifts” and candidates’ vulnerabilities were once again on full display in races across the map.

• In Montana, new reporting from HuffPost revealed that Tim Sheehy has a toxic stance on public lands, supporting the transfer of these public lands to states and counties, a position that “poll after poll shows that voters in Western states, including Montana, overwhelmingly oppose.” Additionally, as local Montana Republicans continued casting doubts about Tim Sheehy, Brad Johnson filed to enter the Republican race and Jeremy Mygland dropped out of the primary to endorse Matt Rosendale.

• In Nevada, a new report from KTVN reveals that Sam Brown failed to disclose his association with a Texas company he manages on his personal financial disclosure forms, in an apparent violation of federal disclosure requirements. Earlier this month, Brown also faced scrutiny over his “non-disclosure of [his] association with an anti-abortion group,” leading Jeff Gunter to attack “Scam Brown” over his “multiple campaign finance SCANDALS.”

• In Ohio, following a “scorch[ing]” primary forum over the weekend and reports that Frank LaRose’s campaign is on “life support” after his “weak” fundraising quarter, Bernie Moreno is taking aim at LaRose and his long list of scandals with a new memo. Moreno also accused LaRose of “lying about his personal wealth” after personally contributing $250,000 to his own campaign and said August’s Issue 1 amendment failed because of LaRose’s “mismanagement and recklessness.” Also this week, Ohio taxpayers submitted public records requests as they called on Frank LaRose to justify spending $600,000 in taxpayer dollars on his costly office relocation. Despite calls from Ohioans, media outlets, and lawmakers, LaRose has “flatly refused to answer questions” about the taxpayer funded move as media outlets report LaRose “appears to blur ethical lines.”

• In West Virginia, Jim Justice’s “mounting financial issues” continue making headlines, with a wave of new reports detailing that Justice failed to disclose his ties to the Morgantown Industrial Park when he unveiled a new investment in the park that will cost taxpayers $70 million and Justice’s companies may soon owe $300 million to their longtime lender. Alex Mooney again attacked Justice for his “litany of financial scandals,” insisting Justice “cannot be trusted with West Virginian’s paychecks” and “abuses the powers of government to line his own pockets.”
  

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